Academic Planning

🎓 Graduation Credit Requirements (Minimum 24 Credits)

English (4 credits)

• English 9

• English 10

• English 11

• English 12

Mathematics (4 credits)

• Algebra I (or additional math if you took accelerated 7th & 8th grade math)

• Geometry

• Algebra II w/ Statistics

• One additional math credit

Science (4 credits)

• Biology

• Physical Science, Chemistry, or Physics

• Two additional science credits

Social Studies (4 credits)

• World History

• U.S. History 10

• U.S. History 11

• Government (.05 credit) & Economics (0.5 credit)

Required Electives (5.5 credits)

• Health (.5 credit)

• Beginning Kinesiology or substitute (1 credit)

• Career Preparedness (1 credit)

• 3 credits from any combination of the following course types:

  • Career and Technical Education (CTE)

  • Fine Arts

  • Foreign Language

Free Electives (2.5 credits)

• Any additional courses of choice

💼 College and Career Readiness Indicator (CCRI)

Students must earn at least ONE CCRI to graduate. Options include:

• Computer Science Course (ONLY 2025-2026 and before) — Exploring Computer Science, AP Computer Science Principles, or AP Computer Science A

• WorkKeys — 4+ on all three subtests

• ACT Benchmark Scores — English: 18+, Reading: 22+, Math: 22+, Science: 23+

• CTE Credential — Passed a credential test in a CTE course

• CTE Completer — 70+ average in three courses in the same CTE cluster

• AP Qualifying Score — 3 or higher on an AP exam

• Military Enlistment — Copy of contract submitted to Dr. Muhammad

• College Credit — Earned while in high school

🧾 Additional Graduation Requirements

Financial Literacy Exam (usually during Career Prep, 9th grade)

Civics Exam (usually during Government, 12th grade)

FAFSA — Must either complete or submit an opt-out form

🧠 Annual Standardized Testing

10th Grade:

• Pre-ACT

• Optional PSAT

11th Grade:

• ACT

• Optional PSAT

12th Grade:

• ACT WorkKeys

• Civics Exam (taken in your Government class)

Ongoing (all grades):

• Progress Monitoring (i-Ready, CERT)

Click here for a printable SHS Graduation Checklist

• Academic Guide

• Career Interest Inventories

• Course Pathways

• Course Selection Forms

• Links to Applications

• Instructions for Entering Requests in PowerSchool

• Course Selection Overview Video

Scheduling Process & Requests for Changes

Each spring, counselors meet with students at Sparkman High School finalize their course requests for the upcoming school year. Once all course selections are submitted in April, administrators review the data to determine how many sections of each course are needed and begin building the school’s master schedule. Over the summer, counselors use this master schedule to create individual student schedules for the next school year.

Schedules are made available to students during Senator Day, the school’s open house event held about one week before school begins in August. If a student notices an error on their schedule, such as a missing required course, a duplicated class, an empty block with no scheduled course, or placement in the wrong course level, they may submit a Schedule Change Request Form during the first three days of school. Forms are available in the Guidance Office, and only paper requests are accepted; emailed requests will not be processed.

Requests to drop or switch AP classes are not always possible. Because AP courses are often paired with other classes or only offered at specific times, making these changes can significantly impact the balance of the school’s schedule.

Students who wish to change a course for reasons other than an error, for example, a change in interest or future plans, may also submit a request. However, these requests are only considered if space is available and are not guaranteed. Such requests are not considered urgent and will be reviewed after all schedule errors have been addressed.

A second schedule change period is also available at the beginning of the spring semester for students still needing adjustments to their spring courses. 

Counselors use students’ course requests along with graduation requirements to create individual schedules. However, in some cases, students may be placed in courses they did not request due to limited availability, high demand for certain classes, or scheduling conflicts with a student's core classes. Students can rest assured that counselors carefully monitor each student’s credits and course selections to ensure they remain on track for graduation.

• Co-Op

  • Co-Op allows students to leave campus early in order to work.  If you are employed or will be employed prior to the start of the semester, you may qualify for Co-Op. 

  • Since Co-Op teachers are required to monitor a student’s employment through employer evaluations and review of hours worked throughout the semester, there is a limit to the number of students who can be in the program. 

  • You will need to sign up to attend an information session to begin the process. After completing the application, be sure to check your email frequently so that you can respond to any requests for additional information from the Co-Op teacher. 

  • Ms. Allen is the Co-Op teacher - aallen@mcssk12.org

• ELO

  • Extended Learning Opportunities (ELO) are pathways for students to earn high school credit through approved out-of-classroom learning experiences, such as internships, apprenticeships, service learning, and approved camps or programs

  • ELO requires students to submit an applicaton to their counselor during the registration period for the following school year.

• Dual Enrollment

  • Dual Enrollment allows students to take actual college courses through a local community college or university. These courses may be taken in person at the college or online. Students earn college credit by successfully completing the course, and the grade becomes part of their permanent college transcript.

  • Students may be eligible for "off blocks" in their schedule to allow for time to attend class, complete assignments, and study for exams. 

• Early Graduation

  • Students who wish to graduate a semester or entire year early must first meet with their counselor to confirm that they are on track to earn the required graduation credits in time to be eligible for this opportunity.

  • Students interested in pursuing this opportunity will make an appointment with their counselor during the registration period (when they are selecting courses for the next school year).  If the student meets credit requirements, the counselor will add the student to a list to be invited to apply. 

  • The next step, the early graduation application, is handled by Dr. Muhammad.

SHS Four Year Guide

Your GPA is a number that shows your overall average in all your classes. Here’s how you can figure out your GPA at Sparkman where most classes are 1 credit, some are 0.5 credits, and grades are based on a 4.0 scale—with one special exception for advanced classes.

Step 1: Convert each class grade into GPA points

A (90 - 100) = 4 GPA points

B (80 - 89) = 3 GPA points

C (70 - 79) = 2 GPA points

D (60 - 69) = 1 GPA point

F (59 or below) = 0 points

Special rule:

If you are in an advanced class and your final average is over 100 (an A+), that class earns 5 GPA points instead of 4.

Step 2: Multiply the GPA points by the course credits

Most classes are 1 credit, so the number stays the same (ex: 4 points × 1 credit = 4).

Half-credit classes use 0.5 (ex: 4 points × 0.5 = 2).

This gives you the quality points for each class.

Step 3: Add up all your quality points

Step 4: Add up all the credits you took

Step 5: Divide total quality points ÷ total credits

The result is your GPA.

Quick Example

Suppose you take:

English (1 credit): A = 4 points → 4 × 1 = 4

PE (0.5 credit): A = 4 points → 4 × 0.5 = 2

Advanced Math (1 credit): 102 average (A+) = 5 points → 5 × 1 = 5

Total quality points = 4 + 2 + 5 = 11

Total credits = 1 + 0.5 + 1 = 2.5

GPA = 11 ÷ 2.5 = 4.4